3 takeaways from last night's thrilling win against the Warriors

The NBA is back and we couldn’t be more excited. The Rockets did the impossible and knocked off the defending champion Golden State Warriors on their ring night. The best part about all of this? The Rockets have a lot of things they can improve on to become a better, more efficient team even after stealing a game at Oracle Arena – a rare feat by any team.

It’s important to note that Draymond Green went out of the game and that opened it up for this Rockets team. That being said, the Warriors just turned into a really good offensive team with Green out – the Rockets were both a really good offensive and defensive team. There are plenty of takeaways from last night’s game but we’ve put our top three below:

The Bench Is For Real

(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

There were only three players who came off the bench for the Rockets last night – Eric Gordon, P.J. Tucker and Luc Mbah a Moute. These three combined for 58 points, 11 rebounds and a combined 61.7 percent from the field (21-34 total). The three also presented a plus/minus box score rating of +40 (+/-), a ridiculously high number considering the Rockets didn’t regain their 2-0 early game lead until late in the fourth quarter. Surprisingly, while the bench hit six three-pointers, Gordon went 0-for-6 from deep – something that really doesn’t happen often. Still, his 9-10 on shots inside the arc coupled with his eight free throw attempts are just about as good of a showing as you can get out of last year’s reigning Sixth Man of the Year.

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Mbah a Moute and Tucker really stole the show last night for the Rockets and that went beyond the box score. Whether it be on defense guarding positions one through five or on offense hitting corner three after corner three. As mentioned before, the two combined to hit six threes last night – if you’re familiar with their offensive skill set, this shouldn’t be a surprise. Look for these guys to be regulars sitting around 23-30 minutes per game depending on the matchup and flow of the unit.

Relax – Chris Paul Is Still Really Good

Chris Paul may not have had his best game but he still used his passing abilities to set up other players (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Chris Paul didn’t have the best start with his new team. During the game, many found it curious that Paul was still on the bench in the fourth quarter but all controversies were stopped when Mike D’Antoni announced after the game that Paul was extremely hobbled and essentially playing “on one leg.” Paul was nothing but optimistic after the game easing fan’s minds about the rough start.

“I got through it,” he said. “I’m a hell of a cheerleader. It’s fun, man, because you know what these guys are capable of.”

Paul still found a way to put up 11 assists and eight rebounds while playing on one leg – that’s pretty impressive in my books. A lot of shots that rimmed out for him could just as easily go in and his stat line, as well as the game score, could look entirely different. We saw his passing open up plenty of players for easy looks in the preseason – it was a repeat of that Tuesday night when he made life easier around the arc. James Harden and Paul combined for 21 assists and that’s on an off-night. There are some players who are able to change the game without making a huge impact scoring the ball, Paul is one of those. We’ve seen him completely dominate games while barely scoring in double-digits.

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Rockets fans, don’t worry – it’s going to work out. Paul is questionable heading into tonight’s bout with the Kings – don’t be surprised to see him be used in a limited fashion tonight.

Rebounding Needs To Improve

Clint Capela scored 12 points in 18 minutes but the team often struggled when he was on the court (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

While the Warriors have a lot of length and are a solid team rebounding the ball, the Rockets have made improving on the boards a major goal for them – they didn’t show it last night. Chris Paul and Ryan Anderson led the team with eight boards – neither of whom are who you’d expect to lead the team. Yes, Anderson is a big but he spends most of his time on the perimeter. Paul played hurt and from the one-spot all night long and still led the team.

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Speaking mostly to Clint Capela, last night was a golden opportunity for him to make an impact on the glass. Capela didn’t do much outside of the fourth quarter and, while there’s plenty of reason to be high on him, there’s a reason he only was in the game for 18 minutes though he finished with zero fouls. Four rebounds and one block for a player as long and as athletic as him doesn’t really cut it – the offensive punch of 12 points is nice but many of those were easy dunks set up by either Harden or Paul. For the Rockets to make it far, they’re going to need Capela to lead this team in rebounding and be something of an anchor on defense – while comparing him to DeAndre Jordan is premature, he needs to get somewhere close to the skill set that Jordan has to see the Rockets hit that next level.

As mentioned earlier, just the simple fact that there are multiple things the Rockets could’ve done to actually improve bodes well for this team moving forward. While it’s unrealistic to expect better games out of Mbah a Moute and Tucker, if Capela and Paul get going – this team can be even better than we saw last night. It’s time to get excited, we’re back!

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